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Ted Briggs Obituary
Briggs died Saturday in a hospital in Portsmouth, southern England, HMS Hood Association Chairman Peter Heys said.
Briggs was one of only three seamen among the 1,418-strong crew to survive an attack by the German battleship Bismarck on May 24, 1941.
A salvo from the Bismarck hit the Hood during the Battle of the Denmark Strait and the magazine exploded, tearing the ship in half. It sank within three minutes.
Briggs, an 18-year-old signalman, later described how he had been sucked under by the sinking ship before being propelled to the surface, where he saw HMS Hood disappearing below the waves.
"I turned and swam as best I could in water 4 inches thick with oil and managed to get on one of the small rafts she carried, of which there were a large number floating around," he wrote in an account posted on the HMS Hood Association's Web site. "When I turned again she had gone and there was a fire on the water where her bows had been."
Hood said he saw two other survivors, Midshipman William Dundas and Able Seaman Bob Tilburn, on rafts nearby. "There was not another soul to be seen," he wrote.
The trio were picked up by another ship three hours later. Dundas died in 1965, Tilburn in 1995.
The sinking of the flagship of the British Home Fleet, and the heavy loss of life, shocked a country proud of its naval might. Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered that the Bismarck be hunted down and destroyed. The German ship was pursued by British forces and sunk on May 27, with the loss of almost 2,000 of its 2,200-strong crew.
In 2001, the wreckage of the Hood was found, almost 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) below the ocean's surface between Greenland and Iceland. Briggs helped lay a plaque on the underwater wreckage, which was designated an official war grave by the British government.
Television producer Rob White, who was with Briggs for the ceremony, said he was a man of "great modesty."
"If you said 'you're a hero,' he used to say 'I was not a hero, I was a survivor,'" White said. "He felt he had to embody that loss and sacrifice and he did in an unassuming manner."
Briggs remained in the navy until 1973. He is survived by his wife, Clare. Funeral details were not immediately available.
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press
56 Entries
James J. Marlowe II, Esq.
December 3, 2019
You had an amazing life, sir. Now you are at rest with your mates. Rest easy, sailor.
Sandgroper
October 20, 2019
You are with them, as your ship mates are with you.
Virginia Mcnew
July 6, 2019
Thank you for serving & may your spirit rest in peace.
jeff sayce
April 1, 2015
You were a real gentle man and. Hero ted god bless you
How you can show support
Larry Tuel
January 4, 2015
Mr Briggs you are one of the best there ever were. When you go down the street people stop and say there goes Ted Briggs, the last survivor of the HMS Hood. The best there ever was.
September 29, 2013
Thanks Ted for sharing your life with so many, Rest now but never forgotten. Gary Runnalls USA
Mike Haskins
January 31, 2013
You made history real, the world has lost a real ambassador in telling how real combat was waged and the toll it took. My condolences to his family.
Mike Haskins , Minnesota
December 11, 2008
pat mccarthy
November 1, 2008
You can finish your game of cards with Tux. thanks for everything !
Robert Cummings
October 31, 2008
I have had a spot in my heart for the HMS Hood since I was a boy. Recently I had been visiting the ship's web page and had a desire to meet you Ted. I was a litle late my friend but hope to see you some day on the other side.
David Onnen
October 11, 2008
Having seen Mr. Briggs on several TV programs, I became aware of the humanity, humility and grace of this man. My heartfelt sympathy to you, his family and friends- know that this gallant gentleman will be remembered always.
Steve Becker
October 10, 2008
Very sad at your passing
Bob Clark
October 9, 2008
Have always admired the way you came to terms with such a tragic event and went on with life. You have always been a hero and role model to many who wish to live in freedom. Thank you for your service and rest easy, your watch is done.
andy gott
October 9, 2008
Mr. Ted Briggs certainly was a part of naval history. I have seen him on television in Hood/Bismarck documentaries I feel I knew him. He certainly seemed to be an honorable and humble person. He is now with his former shipmates. The pages are turned and closed. We were honored by his presence. Calm seas and following winds.
Angela Adams
October 9, 2008
My deepest sympathy goes out to the Briggs family. My husband and I saw the documentry on the HMS Hood the other night. It is amazing that the trio servived. God Bless Mr. Briggs and the other Navy personnel for doing what they did for their country and ours. God Bless all men who have fought or is currently fighting for our freedom.
Rest in Peace Mr. Briggs
Henryk Zaleski (USN-Ret)
October 9, 2008
Rest in peace and with fair winds and following seas.
Linda
October 8, 2008
With sincere sympathy to the Briggs family and great appreciation for your service to our country. Rest in peace.
A Free American...because of you.
David Belknap
October 8, 2008
God Save The Queen......God Save The Hood and All Who Sailed In Her.........God Save and God Speed Ted Briggs.
Laurance Lenihan
October 8, 2008
God bless you Mr. Briggs and all that you and your generation did for us. I've had the pleasure of seeing you on TV many times over the years and you've always tugged at my heart. You are now with your "mates". May you and they rest in eternal peace.
John Horan
October 8, 2008
PO Briggs: You went into harms way and survived as an inspiration to those who followed you in all navies. I was always struck by your pride in your ship and your humble demeanor in the interviews I watched. You inspired me and my shipmates. Fair Winds and Following Seas, Sigs....
GMC(SW) John R. Horan Jr., USN (Ret)
Eugene and Susan Meece
October 8, 2008
God bless you. May you rest in peace. Thank you for your service to the Great nation of Britian.
amanda
October 8, 2008
Thanks for all you've done and your service. May god bless you.
Harry Simpson
October 8, 2008
Fair winds and following seas sailor.
John
October 8, 2008
Imagine an event like this occurring when you were 18 years old. Bless you shipmate...
Terry Smallwood
October 7, 2008
I am so glad he got to return the site of his greatest event of his life and honor his shipmates.Now he has joined them, and the Hood will take them all home. So rest well seaman Briggs you have earned your shore leave.
Nigel Cutler
October 7, 2008
My condolensces to the family and friends of Ted Briggs. He was from a generation and class of men to which we owe so much, and may never see the likes of again. To you, Ted Briggs, and my father, who served in RN destroyers during WWII, and the multitude of brave souls that fought for our freedom, I raise a glass, to both honor and thank you. May you never be forgotten, and may you forever be at peace.
Douglas Lincoln
October 7, 2008
My condolences to the family of one
who now belongs to the ages.
Fair sailing.
Ken Mobley
October 7, 2008
Thank you Sir for serving the cause for peace. Your heroism and will to survive is an inspiration to us all. May God grant you the peace and rest you so richly deserve.
Jim
October 7, 2008
The crew of the HMS Hood is finally together again. God bless you Sir and rest in peace and honored glory.
Ramona Harwick
October 7, 2008
Mr. Briggs, may God be with for eternity. Thank you for your service to your country and mine. You were truly a hero, not just a survivor. Bethlehem, PA
Mark Edwards
October 7, 2008
Rest in peace Mr. Briggs. Your service will not be forgotten.
J. Vayer, USMC Ret
October 7, 2008
Fair winds and following seas, Sir.
Bob Urban
October 7, 2008
Now, Mr. Briggs, I believe that we may call you a hero.You were already recognized by many as such but chose to give that distinction to the men that never went home.For it is now that you are with the other 1417 shipmate heroes with which you served ! God Bless.
Robert Hind
October 6, 2008
Ted wrote the forward to my first book 'The Naval Camps of Bedhampton, Havant and Leigh Park'. I met him several times and he was always the gentleman and willing to answer any of my questions on the navy during wartime.
I was at Ganges as a boy when he was there as an officer but never had chance to meet him.
Thank you Ted foe making the book the success it was.
Bob H.
Gary C. Rose
October 6, 2008
Thank You Sir ! for a job well done now you can be with all your crew i am very proud of you.Some of my relatives served in Royal Navy as my roots are from Newfoundland. So now rest in the hands of God as you are finally home ! God Bless Your Family
PAUL ANDERSON
October 6, 2008
Thanks for helping us win the war.
Carl Fagerberg
October 6, 2008
My thoughts and prayers to the Briggs family for a truly honorable and humble man.
Rest in Peace Mr. Briggs.
MISTY BIAS
October 6, 2008
Mr. Briggs,
THANK YOU FOR SERVING OUR COUNTRY. ALL HERO GO TO HEAVEN, AND YOU WILL BE WITH EVERYONE THAT HAD SERVED WITH YOU. IT MEN LIKE YOU THAT MAKE THIS WORLD GO AROUND WITH PRIDE. YOU'LL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN AND ALWAYS REMEMBERED AS A TRUE HERO! MUCH LOVE AND RESPECT
October 6, 2008
To the Briggs Family, Like Ted, my father was a veteran of WWII. Mr. Briggs will be missed. You will be in our thoughts and prayers. May God Bless you.
D. R. Williams Richmond,Kentucky
Connecticut, USA.
October 6, 2008
Yes Mr. Briggs, you were a survivor. But, you were also a true HERO. Rest in peace.
Roger Filer
October 6, 2008
Ted, all of us at E-Zec Medical Transport enjoyed your company on the many occasions that we took you to and from your hospital appointments. Always the gentleman, your quiet modesty and dignity were a lesson to us all. Our sincere condolences to your wife.
christopher oakes
October 6, 2008
god bless to you and your family and thanks for fighting for for us in ww2. may you RIP.
Patricia Finnegan
October 6, 2008
Fair winds and calm seas to you, Mr. Briggs. Thank you for your service in WWII; I am sure the rest of your HMS Hood's shipmates were there to greet you on the other side. We Will Remember Them.
Mike Casey
October 6, 2008
Mr. Briggs,
Sir, I would just like to say thank you to for your service and sacrifice for Great Britain and the Free World in the fight against tyrany during WW II and for being a member of the Greatest Generation. And to your family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.
Thomas Widgeon
October 6, 2008
Jesus Loves Me!!!
brian wilson
October 6, 2008
to you, and all who fell in all wars, we shall remember them, and hopefully allways will, "splice the mainbrace" when you meet your shipmates, after all this time im sure youll have lots to talk about.
god bless to you, and all thats fallen in conflict.
Richard Russ
October 5, 2008
It is most fortunate that a man like Ted Briggs was one of the men to be saved from the sinking of the Hood. My sympathy to his family at this time of sorrow.
M. D. Morse
October 5, 2008
This would have been a much different world had it not been for men such as Ted Briggs. May you have fair winds and calm seas, sir.
D. ZIMMERMAN.
October 5, 2008
REST IN PEACE TED BRIGGS
Bob & Edith Stamper
October 5, 2008
God bless the family, friends, and buddies of Ted Briggs.
I've seen his story several times on the History Channel. Mr. Briggs had such a significant and kind demeanor. His great compassion for his missing buddies was really shown. His story was so touching. He said when he heard of the sinking of the Bismarck, he couldn't take very much pleasure because he knew the horror those sailors had gone through.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 (King James Bible)
PAUL BASINGER
October 5, 2008
FROM 1,418 TO 3 AND NOW NONE. THE LAST OF A BRAVE ENGLISH CREW. ANOTHER JOURNEY HAS BEGUN. ENGLAND WILL NOT FORGET YOU.
Henry Yarbrough
October 5, 2008
May God bless and all the best to the Briggs family.
Kerry Cantrell
October 5, 2008
You are with your Buddies now. "Sail away" and Rest In Peace, in your Saviors' arms! My condolences, to the Family.
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